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A golden opportunity for former Tennessee Vols standout Jaylen Wright has turned shaky for reasons within and out of his control

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 1:14 PM ET

The Miami Dolphins like what they have in former Tennessee Vols RB Jaylen Wright. Their intrigue in his skillset led to them taking the aggressive move of trading into the fourth round in the 2024 NFL Draft to snare him.

And what's not to like? The former Tennessee starter was electric for the Vols, posting the program's first 1000-yard rushing total in almost a decade in 2023, a year after serving as a crucial piece of the Tennessee offense that helped UT reach 11 wins for the first time in over two decades.

But, with a clear opportunity to secure a key role in the Dolphins' offense this training camp with starter De'Von Achane a bit dinged up, Wright hasn't exactly delivered. And things took another turn south this week during joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday when he limped off the field and had to seek medical treatment.

Jaylen Wright is being walked to the Baptist Health facility with a limp and it doesn’t look good. Not saying season ending, but this isn’t a “I’ll bounce back” limp. But at least he’s walking.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) August 21, 2025

Jaylen Wright walked off practice field slowly with apparent injury flanked by a trainer and now headed into medical facility for more evaluation.

Ollie Gordon II manning most of Dolphins RB reps in practice today.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 21, 2025

As NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe noted, rookie Ollie Gordon II is getting more and more work, and frankly, he's looked in preseason action thus far like the better player of the two with the ball in his hands. Through two preseason games, Gordon II has 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. Wright has 13 carries for 19 yards and a touchdown.

While preseason games are sometimes tough to take at face value since starters are often out and players are sometimes playing with or against second and/or third string players, Gordon II simply has looked like the more powerful and capable runner early on.

That's not to necessarily say that Wright is behind him at this point. But if Wright misses time and Gordon II continues to produce on the field, it's certainly reasonable to believe that the latter could be playing himself into contention for the RB2 role to start the season.

We'll see how Gordon II looks - and if Wright is able to log any appearance in the contest - when Miami and Jacksonville square off on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. For Tennessee fans hoping to tune in, the game is being shown on the NFL Network.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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